Our Methods

How We Do It

Since Imagine More's founding in 2012, we've worked on all kinds of projects: from branding and website UX to curriculum design and fundraising. Each project, though, begins the same way. ​ We use a combination of ethnography (an anthropological research method); design thinking (a "human-centered" approach to problem-solving); and traditional branding/marketing/communications tools.

First, we conduct in-depth research to understand the dimensions of the challenge we're facing. We ask a number of key questions, including (but not limited to): Who is involved, both inside the organization and outside of it? How do these different people (and groups of people) view the challenge? What is the context of the challenge - geographical, social, economic, cultural? What are the goals and ideal outcomes of the various groups involved?

We use this information-gathering to paint as complete a picture as we can of the challenge. This helps us creatively generate insights and possibilities, then work collaboratively with our clients to find and implement the most effective solution(s).

What is Design Thinking, and How Do We Use It?

In broadest terms, design thinking is a creative approach to solving problems. It is a "human-centered" method, based on fully understanding the needs of all the people who are affected by a problem and its solution.​Traditional problem-solving looks very narrowly at issues, often using cookie-cutter-type solutions. On the other hand, a design thinking approach looks at everything surrounding the problem. Looking at the big picture lets us see the situation in a new way, revealing insights we never would have reached otherwise.